Reversing seat base



Oct. 6, 1931.

E. F. SMALL REVERSING SEAT BASE Filed Aug. 6. 1929 Patented Oct. 6, 1931 lTED STATES REVERSING SEAT BASE Application filed August 6, 1929. Serial No. 383,838.

This invention relates to reversion means which while capable of various adaptations and uses I shall herein illustrate as applied to supports for car seats. It is in this application particularly adaptable to a double seat supported on a single base. Such a base necessarily must be positioned centrally of the double seat so as to properly balance the same on all sides and maintain its center of gravity and must be firmly fixed to the floor. It is desirable, therefore, that the means for reversing the position of the seat according to the direction of travel of the vehicle involve a movement of the seat rather than a movement of the base.

It is manifestly desirable to have such seats as close as possibleto the wall or window and to each other so that space he economized. A comfortable inclination of the back of the ordinary seat is such that the seat cannot be reversed by simple rotative movement without contact with walls or windows or other seats to such an extent as to prevent a complete half rotation of the seat. 85 In order to avoid this difliculty it has been common practice to reverse merely the back of the seat, but permanent or fixed backs for such seats are preferable for many reasons.

My invention makes it possible in this art :10 to reverse the position of an entire seat of either single or double construction so that all the advantages and comforts of such construction may be present. My invention contemplates a movement of the chair on the base which provides for a lateral movement of the seat on the base to an extent sulficient to clear the wall or window and at the same time a rotation of the seat within predetermined limits, whichefi'ects to a complete re- 40 versal of position.

While I have discussed the utilization of my reversing mechanism more particularly in connection with a seat, it will be appreciated that it is capable of application to many other uses.

In the drawings I have illustrated an embodiment of my invention in connection with a double seat. Throughout the specification and drawings like reference numerals are employed to indicate corresponding parts.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side view showing in full and broken lines the two reversed positions of such a seat.

Fig. 2 is a front View of a double seat such as may be reversed by my invention in its usual relation to a wall.

Fig. 3 is a detail view showing the connections between the chair and the base.

Fig, 4 is a top plan view of the base of a chair support.

Fig. 5 is a partial section on the line 55 of Fig. 4:.

Fig. 6 is a diagram showing in full lines the disposition of the reversing mechanism when the seat is facing in one regular position and in dotted lines another position occupied by the members during the reversal of the seat.

Figs. 7 and 8 show still further positions 76 during the reversing operation, and

Fig. 9 is a side view of one of the reversing arms.

In the drawings I have indicated at C a seat and at S its base. The seat brackets A are fastened at one end A to the bottom of the seat C and at the opposite end are pivotally connected to a rotatable member 1 mounted on the base S and by my reversing r mechanism as later explaine The arrangement and operation of my reversing mechanism will be understood by a consideration of Fig. 4 and the diagrams of Figs. 6 to 8 inclusive. The top of the base S is provided with a recessed portion of general pentagonal shape as disclosed at? in all of the figures above referred to. The pentagonal configuration of this recess defines the limits of movement of the reversing elements, the movement of the elements defining the shape of the recess, as the operation would take place exactly the same on a level surface, the recess being provided in order that none of the operating parts need be exposed to outside influences and so that there may be a smooth unbroken the base and chair.

Withinthe recess P are pivoted reversing arms 2 and 3. These are similar and each has a downwardly extending pivot 2 or 3 joining of and an upwardly extending pivot 2 or 3 which fi'nds bearing in the seat-disc 1. The downwardly extending pivots 2 and 3 in the bottom of the pentagonal recess in the base S are held therein as at 2 (Fig. 5) The upwardly extending lugs 2 and 3 enter suitably spaced recesses in the member 1 and are pivotally held therein as at 5.

It will be noted from a consideration of Figs. 4 to 8 inclusive that all pivot points of 'my reversing levers are fixed with relation to the members which they engage. However, as the reversible seat member 1 engaged by the upwardly extending pivots 2 and 3 is movable I refer to the pivots 2 and 3 as movable pivots and to the pivots 2 and 3 which have bearing in the fixed bases as stationary pivots. r

As a basis of understanding herein I will first discuss as a mechanical movement those parts of my reversing mechanism herein involved. For thispurpose we need only consider arms 2 and 3 and so much of the disc 1 as constitutes fixed linkage between the free or moving ends of these two arms. This may be seen by reference to Figs. 6 to 8 inclusive.

It will be noted that the arms 2 and 3 may be considered primarily as radii and each of length more than half the distance between their pivot or center. As such their free ends 2 and 3 considered as points inscribe arcs which intersect at two points. These two points establish the line of the front to rear position of the seat C.

Beyond these intersecting arcs each radius arm may swing until in symmetrical disposition the would reach a position such as is illustrate in full lines in Fig. 7. In this position they may be said to be in deadlock. They can be returned to their initial position (Fig. 6) but no reversal would have taken p ace.

However, by continued rotation as of the seat the arm 2 is receded beyond the symmetrical disposition which I have rather arbitrarily designated as a pentagon. By so receding as indicated in broken lines in Fig. 7 the arm 3 is permitted or compelled by the linkage of the member 1 to assume the lead of arm 2. Continued rotation results in a position of the arms as in Fig. 8 which is the reverse of Fig. 4. This means that the linkage has been reversed or the plate 1 rotated 180. Seats therefore mounted thereon are reversed front or back according to their orginal position considered as a material embodiment.

In normal position the arms 2 and 3 are positioned in one or the other of the two positions indicated in broken lines in Fig. 4 or Fig. 8. The fixed pivots 2 and 3 are placed approximately in the side angles of the pentagonal recess P. The two movable pivots 2 and 3 are in alignment with the apex of the pentagon midway between the two stationary pivot points, that is, really in the altitude of the pentagon.

Each lever moves on its stationary pivot 2 or 3 and the free end of each inscribes its own arc. These arcs intersect as shown in Figs. 6 to 8 inclusive, the pivots 2 and 3 being held by their pivotal bearing in the plate 1 at a predetermined distance from each seat C. Assume for the purposes of illustra-v tion that the seat is facing downward and that it is desired to face the same in the opposite direction. The member 1 and connected seat is held in the position illustrated in Fig. 4 by means of a stop 8 and a treadle controlled lock 6 as illustrated in Figs. 3, 4, and 5. When the lug 6 is removed the member 1 is free to rotate.

As force is supplied in the direction of the arrow the arms 2 and 3 swin to the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 6. At this point they are neutral and the chair can be turned'in either direction as desired. Continuing the reversal of the chair in Fig. 7 in dotted lines, the position of the arm 3 is shown returning while the arm 2 continues its course of outward travel receding to allow the arm 3 to take the lead. It then follows back to the position shown in dotted lines (Fig. 8). At this point the arm 3 which has been on one side now lies on the opposite side of the arm 2.

In Fig. 8 the semi-revolution of the member 1 has beencompleted and the arms are shown in dotted lines as having reached the end of their travel in the indicated direction. It will be noted that the positions of the arms 2 and 3 are reversed to those shown in Fig. 6. The next reversal of the seat necessarily must be in the opposite direction as further movement of the member 3 ii. the direction of the arrow will be prevented by the engagement of the end of the arm 3 by the apex wall of the pentagonal recess P.

I am thus able to move the seat which it is desired to reverse in the general lateral direc tion until the levers are in the position shown in Fig. 7 From that point the seat travels inwardly until the member 1 reaches the position shown in Fig. 8. When in either position (Fig. 4 or 8) the seat is locked by a detent 6 operated by a foot lever 7 pivoted at 7 Various types of arms or other types of arc guiding means may be employed. Details of chair and base members obviously may be varied without departing from the spirit of my invention as defined in the appended claims.v

What I therefore claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a reversible chair, a base, a rotatable seat structure, and a connection between said base and said seat structure comprising a pair of arms each pivoted to said base and to said seat structure, the distance between the two pivots of one arm combined with the distance between the two pivots of the other arm exceeding the distance between the points of pivotal connection of said arms with said base, whereby the pivots between said arms and said seat structure are adapted for movement in intersecting arcs, and the distance between said latter pivots being equal to the distance between the points of intersection of said arcs.

2. In a reversible chair, a base, a rotatable seat structure, and a connection between said base and said seat structure comprising a pair of arms each pivoted to said base and to said seat structure, the distance between the two pivots of each arm being less than the total and greater than one-half of the distance between the pivots of said arms with said base.

3. In a reversible chair, a base, a rotatable seat structure, and a connection between said base and said seat structure comprisin a pair of arms each pivoted to said base an to said seat structure. the distance between the two pivots of each arm being equal and less than the total and greater than one-half of the distance between the pivots of said arms with said base.

4. In a reversible chair, a base, a rotatable seat structure, and a connection between said base and said seat structure comprising apair of arms each pivoted to said base and to said seatstructure, the distance between the two pivots of each arm being equal and less than the total and greater than one-half of the distance between the pivots of said arms with said base, whereby the pivots between said arms and said seat structure are adapted for movement in intersecting arcs, and the distance between said latter pivots being equal to the distance between the points of intersection of said arcs.

5. In a reversible chair, a base, a rotatable seat structure, and a connection between said base and said seat structure comprising a pair of arms each pivoted to said base and to said seat structure, the distance between the pivotal connections of said arms with said seat structure being less than the distance between ghe pivotal connections of said arms with said ase.

6. In a reversible chair, a has a rotatable seat structure, and a connection etween said base and said seat structure comprising a pair of arms each pivoted to said base and to 

